On prayer...

"In that most burdensome moment of all human history, with blood appearing at every pore and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought—His Father. “Abba,” He cried, “Papa,” or from the lips of a younger child, “Daddy.”

This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it. A Son in unrelieved pain, a Father His only true source of strength, both of them staying the course, making it through the night—together."
— Jeffrey R. Holland

On trials...

Challenges come in multiple doses simultaneously applied. When those trials are not consequences of your own disobedience they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow. (Elder Scott)

"It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal....If you have a good miserable day once in awhile, or several in a row, stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life." (Sister Menlove)

"And they live happily ever after" is never written into the second act.

Class of 2010

My son graduates from high school today. All I can think about is the little boy and how fast he has grown up. I look around my house and remember when he would hang upside down from the bar in the closet...or hang from a room divider and swing. I see ghosts of little Mario's or Luigi's from the time he loved to dress like his favorite Nintendo characters. Each room in this house holds a memory...even the bathroom...where I would help him bathe when he was younger and the tub time discussions we would have. I hear the laughter and noises from the birthday parties, family game nights, holidays. I think back to the magic of leaving food for the reindeer and looking up the chimney when the stockings were hung. I even can hear the tears of struggling with homework and not wanting to write spelling sentences. We laugh at that now. He was a kid who couldn't write a spelling sentence if it wasn't true. And the balls...always a ball. Basketball, baseball, football, tennis ball.

I look at the young man he is now. I am often blown away at the incredible young man he has become. He is a natural leader. He is kind. His English teacher this year told him that he was the only one of all her students who said hello to her everyday. He is just that kind of guy!

I wish him the best of luck in his future. I can't wait to see the man he will become.Although I really miss the little guy, I love him for the person he is now.

We are spoiled

There was a young man in Africa who slept in a cot in the family kitchen, although he was about a foot taller than the cot was long. He was given a gift of a suitcase from his mother. This suitcase was battered and beat up. One that even Goodwill might reject. He placed this suitcase at the head of his cot so that he could stretch out when he slept. This suitcase was his prized possession. This suitcase though, was more than a pillow to him. You see, now he had a suitcase to take with him on his mission.

(A story Steve M. shared with me that Elder Bednar shared with him)

The worth of a "sole"...

The other day Doug noticed that one of his student had a gaping hole in his shoe...essentially, the whole sole was gone. The next day, Doug noticed the boy  was still wearing the same pair of shoes. He called me while I was at lunch with a friend. Doug called to ask me to bring the boy a pair of socks. He had found him a pair of shoes in the PE room. My friend immediately told me to find out the shoe size of the boy and said that she would like to buy him a pair of shoes. She was serious. The following day, Doug asked the boy how the shoes that he found were. He said they were fine, but a little small. Upon closer inspection Doug realized these shoes weren't even close to fitting.  Anyway, long story short-I texted my friend with the shoe size and within an hour, she dropped off to the school a brand new pair of shoes and a package of socks. And these were not spiderman shoes from Kmart either...these were a nice name brand shoe. With decorum and dignity, this boy was told that the Health Office had some shoes for him. Later that day, Doug noticed that this boy couldn't be happier with his new shoes.

Today, I am grateful for the incredible people that I have in my circle of friends. People who notice the plight of others and and do something about it (and not because the government told them too.)  My friend reminded me that when we do service for others we truly do forget ourselves for a while. Man, I have good friends.

Happy Birthday Abby!

My baby turned 11. She shares her birthday with 2 incredible men...her Uncle David and her Grandpa Hixon...

It's time to re-visit that old classic (that makes me think of my dad)

"The Men in My Little Girl's Life"

It seems like only yesterday

When I heard my little girl say

"Daddy, there's a boy outside

His name is Rod. He wants to play in our backyard.

Can he Daddy? Oh Please Daddy?

                                                     

Is it really so long ago, she'd come to me and want to know...

"Dad, there's a boy outside, His name is Lee

He wants to carry my books for me. 

Can he Daddy? Is it alright dad?

He's got freckles.

Then came pony tails and jeans 

And my little girl was in her teens...

"Popsie, there's a boy outside...

His name is Tom. he wants to take me to the prom.

OK Popsie? He's cute Popsie. We'll be home early.

Before I knew it, time had flown. And how my little one had grown.

Now it was, "Father, there's a boy outside. His name is Eddie. 

He wants to know if we can go steady. 

Can we Father? Can we borrow the car Father?

Yes, it seems like only yesterday, I heard my lovely daughter say,

"Dad, there's a boy outside. His name is Jim.

He asked me if I'd marry him. 

I said Yes, Dad.

Got something in your eye Dad? I love him Dad.

A child. An Adolescent. A young lady. A wife.

And oh, yes. There's another man in my little girl's life.

"Hi Dad. There's a boy outside. His name is Tim.

I told him Grandpa was going to babysit him.

Thanks Dad. Bless You Dad. Good Night Dad.

Happy Birthday to Abby, David and Dad!

The Prophet said to plant a garden...

I love planting and tending a garden. (Except when I find caterpillar things in there.)


Whenever I am in the garden weeding, watering or harvesting, my mind always turns heavenward.

I have discovered the the more time I spend in the garden, the easier it is to differentiate between young plants and weeds. At first glance, the weeds can appear as young plants. But as I spend time in the garden I learn what the plant is supposed to look like and I learn to recognize what the weeds look like.  I often find myself likening weeds to sins or bad habits.

I think about how the weeds, if not pulled, will take over my garden and hinder my plants growth. It makes me think of examining my own life on a regular basis looking for weeds that might be growing there. If I neglect my garden for a few days, the weeds can really take over and the task of pulling them can seem daunting.

I think about my kids, and how if some bad habits go unrecognized by me, their growth can be hindered. I often wonder if I am spending enough time with my kids. Do I recognize the weeds in their lives?

I have learned that the longer the weed is left in my garden, the deeper and bigger the root grows. It becomes harder it is to pull out. The earlier I can pluck theses offensive things out of my fertile soil, the easier it is.

I think about the things that are needed to help things grow. Soil, sunlight, water. I think about the importance of daily prayer and scripture study.

As I plant the small seed, I recognize that I am exhibiting faith that something will grow. I have faith that the person who put the seed in the packet knew what kind of seed it was. I have faith that nature will do it's thing and help my plant to grow. I think about how great it is that from a small seed, beautiful things can grow. And so it is with faith.

I think about reaping my harvest. It takes a lot of work to prepare, plant and tend for a garden. The rewards don't always come immediately. But in due time, the rewards will some. Just not on my timetable.


My heart is filled with gratitude for a Heavenly Father who as part of His plan for us gave us gardens.